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CITY OF COLTON <br />AGENDA REPORT <br />For Council Meeting of November 17, 1992 <br />TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />FROM: <br />JACK H. STRATTON, CHIEF OF POLICE <br />SUBJECT: Date <br />CONTRACT FOR FINANCIAL INVESTIGATIO S 11-02-92 <br />RELATING TO ASSET SEIZURES <br />BACKGROUND <br />The Colton Police Department's diligent efforts to effectively impact <br />the narcotic dealer financially through asset seizure is hampered by <br />its inabilities to conduct indepth financial audits. Asset seizure <br />audits are highly specialized and labor is intensive beyond the means <br />of the Police Department. This results in a loss of revenue to the <br />agency and allows the narcotic dealers funds to continue their <br />illegal business. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Narcotic dealers are becoming much more sophisticated in their <br />ability to hide their economic worth by purchasing homes, property, <br />vehicles, or by making other types of financial investments. Because <br />of this, it makes it extremely difficult to find and ultimately prove <br />that these assets were obtained through illegal means, i.e., <br />narcotics dealings. The investigations into these financial <br />transactions are extremely difficult and timely and also require <br />expertise in accounting with specialization in the asset forfeiture <br />field. The inability to discover these hidden assets leaves a major <br />stone unturned in the department's fight against narcotic sales. <br />Presently these investigations are beyond the capabilities of the <br />Police Department considering specific training and available <br />manpower. Undiscovered assets are being lost to the narcotic dealer <br />which could successfully be seized and awarded to the department. <br />The alternative to this contract would be that the Police Department <br />would be forced to continue financial investigations themselves which <br />oftentimes does not disclose additional assets. <br />Attachments: <br />Page 1 of --2 <br />Item No. �� <br />